1. Field of the Invention
The invention, in general, relates to an apparatus for moving an object from an elevated position to a lower one and, more particularly, to an apparatus for moving an object from an elevated to a lower position at a controlled rate of speed.
2. The Prior Art
Apparatus of the kind here under consideration are well-known and are used, for instance, as emergency escape devices which permit persons in distressful situations to escape from high buildings, mountains and other elevated structures. One such apparatus has been disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,038 issued 18 Nov. 1986 to Stancato. It uses two cascading or series-connected centrifugal brake mechanisms the effective braking rate of which must be determined and set manually by a person compelled to act under hazardous or dangerous circumstances when he is least likely to act rationally. Moreover, the brakes are actuated by a relatively complicated gear train of a plurality of gears any one of which may malfunction or jam in circumstances in which reliability is of the utmost importance.